selfish reasons
by MissingMommy
Summary: In which James is the good guy, Sirius is the bad guy and Remus is caught between the two. :: unrequited!Remus/James, Remus/Sirius, James/Lily, superpower!AU, for Caza.


For Caza. I really hope you enjoy this as much as I loved writing it!

For the Quidditch League, Beater 1. Prompts: madman and "The best way to figure out if you can trust someone is to trust them" – Ernest Hemingway.

Notes: This is a superpower!AU.

* * *

Remus freezes in the middle of the street, his heart and mind racing. He glances around. There's nobody around save for him and the man behind him. He could scream, but there's no guarantee that anyone would hear him or be close enough to save him. He needs to get to a more populated area.

He turns on his heel and takes off down the street. The man laughs. "You can't escape me, Lupin."

He feels the ground shake beneath him, causing him to stumble slightly. And, against his better judgment, he looks over his shoulder. Standing two times his original size is the man, and Remus knows exactly who he is dealing with – Greyback.

Greyback is Voldemort's right hand man. Voldemort is one of the most feared villains, and he just happens to be who Remus' father –Lyall – managed to piss off. Remus had been told to be careful, but he wasn't expecting to be the one that was attacked.

He starts to watch where he's going again, trying to get away from Greyback, knowing the man was power and ruthless. He hears the groan of a car, and feels that it's about to be thrown at him. He ducks into an alley, hears a whistling of the car flying and pushes off the wall before it can make contact with him.

The ground continues to shake as Greyback chases him. At the end of the alley, Remus turns into a major street, still heading towards downtown. Before he can go any further, he feels a crushing weight, forcing him to the ground. He looks up, seeing Greyback looming over him, a glimmer of something in his eyes that makes him look like a madman.

Without moving his hand from Remus, he picks up the car closest to him. Remus squeezes his eyes closed, squirming to get away, but it's useless; Greyback is too strong.

A few agonizing moments go by and Remus still isn't hit with the car. He peaks through his lashes. What he sees causes him to snap his eyes open in amazement. A messy haired man with glasses is struggling to get the car away from Greyback's grip.

With his attention elsewhere, the hand holding Remus down slackens and Remus takes this chance to move. He scrambles back to the alley that he came running through, and watches the fight.

From his position, he sees the mysterious man take another car and swing it toward Greyback. Greyback had no choice but to drop the car he's playing tug-of-war with. The car hits him in the head, causing him to groan in pain and shrink in size.

Looming over him, the dark haired man demands, "Get out of here."

Greyback faces Remus. "You were lucky this time. You won't be next time, princess," he promises.

The words send chills down Remus' back, but he doesn't show it. "Whatever helps you sleep at night," he replies cheekily.

Greyback growls loudly, and looks like he's about to lounge at Remus, but with a quick look at the other man, he doesn't. The other man fixes Greyback with a hard look, daring him to attack. He must believe the cons outweigh the pros because he just stalks off with a growled, "This isn't over."

After Greyback disappears around the corner, the man comes over to where Remus is standing. "Are you hurt?" he asks. His voice is deep and rich.

Remus shakes his head, but the motion causes pain to shoot through his body. He's no longer running off his adrenalin anymore, causing his entire body to ache.

The man places his hand on Remus' shoulder and Remus feels warmth spread through his body. It makes him feel high.

"I thought all heroes wore tights," he muses, staring at the man in jeans and a button down shirt. He doesn't realize he says this aloud until he hears laughter. It's infectious and causes him to smile.

"I tried them. They weren't for me," he replies, a grin on his face.

Remus thinks the stranger's smile is beautiful. He blushes at that thought, dipping his head down to hide it. "Thank you…" he trails off.

"James. James Potter," he supplies. He gives Remus a questioning look.

"Remus Lupin."

James' expression changes to an amused one. "That would explain why someone as high up as Greyback was attacking you." His expression softens. "Just be careful from now on. He made it clear that he was coming back."

Remus nods. He watches as James shoves his hands into his pocket and walks away, whistling.

* * *

From then on out, every chance Remus had to watch the news, he did. He was looking for some information about the brown-eyed hero that had protected him from Greyback. But James keeps a low profile, trying to avoid being on camera. He's one of the few heroes that Remus has ever known to keep himself out of the media.

But whenever he is seen, he's with a beautiful redheaded girl. And Remus tries to tell himself that he isn't jealous because she is holding his hand, but he knows that he is.

* * *

Remus is walking down the street, watching over his shoulder to ensure that he's not followed. Greyback is still after him, but he's managed to evade him so far. He's more careful now than he was.

He turns the corner, nearing his house, when he freezes. There's Greyback, standing in front of his door. Greyback meets his eyes but doesn't move from his position.

"I wouldn't move if I were you."

Remus can feel these words whispered against his ear. "And what are you going to do if I move?"

He hears laughter and it causes him to turn around. The man looks similar to James; his hair is tamer, though, and he doesn't wear glasses. But just a look sends Remus into his memories about James.

"I can see why Greyback doesn't like you."

The other man's words bring Remus out of his thoughts. He looks back at his door, finding that Greyback has disappeared. "How did you know that?" he asks suspiciously.

All he receives in return is an eyebrow raise. Remus narrows his eyes. And then realization hits him. "That wasn't really him. He sent you to find me."

"Yes," he agrees. Remus spins around, trying to flee, when he feels a hand on his wrist. "I'm not going to take you to him."

Remus pulls his wrist from his grip and crosses his arms. "Give me one good reason why I should trust you," he demands, his gaze hard.

He holds out his hand. "I'm Sirius Black," he says, "and there's absolutely no reason you should trust me." Recognizing the name, Remus narrows his eyes, causing Sirius to laugh. "Ah! So you've heard of me."

Remus nods. "Everyone knows of the Blacks." There's a pause before Remus speaks again. "What were you trained in?"

Raising his eyebrow, Sirius questions, "How'd you know about that?"

"My father was investigating all the powerful families, including your family, the Lestranges, the Malfoys. It's actually what pissed your leader off. My father wouldn't quit looking into you all," Remus explained.

Motioning behind him, Sirius speaks. "You've already seen what I can do."

Remus follows Sirius gestures and stares at the door to his house. "That wasn't really Greyback, was it?" When Sirius shakes his head, Remus sighs. "That was you."

Nodding, Sirius sighs. "Look, I'm just going to walk away and you're going to pretend that you didn't see me."

"Why are you doing this?" Remus asks.

Sirius grins, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I have my reasons. You might be seeing me around."

Before Remus can say anything, Sirius disappears before his eyes.

* * *

After that, Remus finds a new place to stay for a while. But even then, Sirius still finds him again. Remus doesn't even flinch when he see Sirius leaning against his door. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Remus asks, fishing out the new key.

Sirius shrugs, and invites himself in. Remus snorts at this action. "Why, yes, you may come in!" he says sarcastically.

Sirius just smirks. "Greyback was demanding why I haven't found you yet, so I figured that I'd pay you a visit."

Remus' eyes narrow at the mention of Greyback. He still doesn't know if he can trust Sirius not to lead Greyback straight to him, but he's going to anyways. "That's nice," he mumbles. "But still doesn't explain why it had to be me."

Laughing, Sirius throws his arm around Remus' shoulder. "Isn't it obvious? I like you."

The statement throws Remus off a slightly. He's always been the loner in school, the one that all the students avoided. He supposes it's because of who his father was. So Remus doesn't believe that Sirius could like him. He snorts.

Sirius raises his eyebrow questioningly.

"Why would you risk getting on Greyback's bad side?" Remus asks.

"Didn't I just tell you? _I like you_." Sirius moves closer. "You're sarcastic and witty and, somehow, you're still alive after you _and_ your father pissed off Greyback. Personally, I love watching him get frustrated because he can't get you."

Remus tilts his head. "By not handing me over to Greyback, and consequently, Voldemort, you are going against your boss."

Sirius shook his head. "They aren't my bosses," he says firmly. "I don't work for anyone besides myself."

"Then why were you going to capture me?"

Sirius smiles. It's bright and charming, and Remus thinks that it's beautiful. "The reward would've been really good," he explains, off-handedly. But Remus feels like there's something more to it.

Remus, however, lets the conversation drop, sensing that Sirius doesn't really want to talk about it. Instead, he takes two sodas out of the fridge and hands one to Sirius as he sits down. "I hope you like Coke."

Sirius takes the soda. And they watch telly for an hour in comfortable silence before Sirius disappears before Remus' eyes again. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to it.

* * *

Remus is sitting in a diner, eating when a person slides into the seat across from him. He glances up to meet the steel eyes of Sirius. "How do you always find me?" he demands.

Sirius leans across the table and, in a low voice, whispers, "Magic."

Rolling his eyes, Remus takes another bite out of his sandwich. After he's done chewing, he asks, "What brings you here this time?"

He shrugs. "I was wondering if you would like to go to the movies."

Remus raises his eyebrow. "As in a date?" When Sirius nods, his heart stops for a moment. It takes a few seconds for reason to kick in, but it does. There's a beautiful man sitting in front of him, thinking only of him; Sirius may not be James, but it's the closest he's going to get. "Okay," he agrees, softly.

The grin that crosses Sirius' face is breathtaking, and it makes Remus believe that he made the right decision.

* * *

When Sirius appears at his door a week later, Remus doesn't ask how he knew where to find him. He just swings the door open and gestures Sirius inside. Instead of the band tee-shirts that he usually wears, Sirius is wearing a button down shirt that's tucked into dark wash jeans.

Remus admires him. "You look nice," he compliments because he doesn't know what else to say. He's never done this before.

It doesn't seem to faze Sirius as he just grins. "You do too. Are you ready to go?"

Remus nods and Sirius offers his hand to him. Looking down skeptically, Remus questions, "Are you real this time?"

Sirius responds by crossing the short distance between them and pressing his lips to Remus'. The kiss doesn't last long, but it's enough to send shivers down Remus' spine. "Wanted to make sure there was none of that awkwardness about the kissing on the first date," Sirius explains, sheepishly.

Remus is dazed, nodding. He feels Sirius thread his fingers through his own, and pulls him along toward the cinema. While they are walking, Remus can't help but think that he likes the feeling of Sirius' hand in his own.

* * *

Their date is going smooth until they run into James and his girlfriend while getting ice cream. Remus recognizes the messy black hair of James almost immediately, and tries to get Sirius not to go, but Sirius, bullheaded as ever, doesn't listen.

The bells on the door chime as Sirius pushes them open. James' eyes snap to the door, and he's out of his seat instantly. "What are you doing here?" James demands.

Remus steps inside, in between Sirius and James. "I do believe that he's here for ice cream," Remus replies humorlessly. "Why else would he be in an ice cream shop?"

James' eyes snap to Remus and he is surprised that he isn't lost in the brown orbs. "Remus, right?" he asks. "You know him?" He jerks his head toward Sirius.

Remus nods. "I do believe I'm on a date with him," he answers curtly. He's baffled by how easy the sentence comes out of his mouth. Speaking to James again isn't as magical as he once thought it would be.

"He's the bad guy!" James exclaims.

Before he can say anything else, James' girlfriend comes up. She places a hand on him. "You must forgive him. He doesn't understand how to respect other's choices," she says. Her voice is soft, but clear and firm. She pushes him towards the door. "I hope he didn't spoil your night," she adds before she follows him outside.

When the door shuts behind the pair, Remus' shoulders sag as the fight drains out of him. He turns back to Sirius.

Sirius is shaking; it's the only outward sign of the conversation bothering him. Remus puts a hand on Sirius shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You knew him," Sirius states, but it sounds more like a question.

"He saved me from Greyback," Remus replies. "That's the first time I've talked to him since."

"You liked him," Sirius says. There's no questioning tone behind it.

Remus furrowed his eyebrows. "How'd you know that?"

Sirius doesn't respond. He favors getting ice cream. When he has a bowl of chocolate and strawberry ice cream, he takes a seat. Remus, confused by Sirius motions, takes a seat across from him.

It takes Sirius a while to talk, but eventually, he does, his eyes trained on his desert. "My brother can manipulate people's emotions. Mother favored him because of the horrible things that he could do. But before he changed, he taught me how to read emotions. You stood between him and I, like you didn't want us to fight. You froze for a second when you saw him in there. You tried not to get me to go. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out," Sirius explains, still not looking at Remus.

Finally, Sirius snaps his eyes up, meeting Remus' for the first time. "Him or me?"

The questions lingers in the air. James, on one hand, protected him when he needed it, while Sirius could lead trouble directly to him. If he chose James right now, he wouldn't have to worry about being betrayed. But as he looks into Sirius' grey eyes – so different from James' brown ones – he believes that he can trust Sirius. There's something heartwarming in Sirius' eyes that Remus never saw in James'.

Remus tilts his head. "I told you, that was only the second time that I've met him. But I think it's enough to know that I'd rather see what happens with you."

There's still skepticism written on Sirius' face. "It isn't because he has a girlfriend, is it?"

Remus shakes his head. "Not at all." He pauses. "But that's not the only thing that's bothering you."

Sirius breaks eye contact, and stares back at his food. "He's right, you know. By all standards, I'm the bad guy."

Throwing his head back, Remus laughs loudly. "Do you really believe that?" he asks when he calms. Sirius nods. "You know, if you really were the bad guy, you would've captured me and turned me into Greyback for your reward by now."

"I didn't for selfish reason," Sirius points out. "If I didn't like you, I would've."

Remus shakes his head. "I don't think so. In the time that I've known you, you haven't struck me as the type to do things on a whim. I don't think you ever planned on capturing me."

He smiles and Remus knows that he was right. "I wanted to see who had riled Greyback up and survived to tell the tale. Again, selfish reasons."

"In the process, you've probably managed to make them your enemies," Remus counters.

Sirius leans across the table, pressing a kiss against Remus' lips. "That's alright. I can protect us from them."

He says it with such confidence that Remus doesn't question Sirius' strength or abilities. All he does is nod, smiling. "You know, that's what the good guys do – protect the people they care about."

Against his ear, Sirius whispers, "Well, for you Remus, I can be the good guy."

**A/n – if you couldn't tell James has super strength and the ability to heal himself and others. Sirius can project illusions. Greyback can grow twice his size. Regulus can manipulate emotions. Lily and Remus don't have powers.**

**So many thanks to my darling Amber who helped me hone this idea in and to Lizy for beta-ing it for me.**


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